Information handling networks have dramatically increased in size, and complexity especially with the increased volume of use and the increased complexity of communications and data processing that are done on the networks. One of the more complex areas which are rapidly expanding are the telecommunications networks which now are opening up into the video arena and providing video conferencing and video broadcasting services usually over broadband networks in North America and elsewhere.
Because of the size of the networks involved and the volume of audio video information being transmitted it has been found that the network arrangement used by the telecommunications industry in permitting every subscriber on a network make contact with all other subscribers on the network (e.g. everyone having a phone can call anyone else having a phone if the corresponding telephone number is used) may not be suitable. While it is highly desirable that an existing and rapidly expanding general access telecommunications network such as those managed by the telephone companies or Internet be used for audio video transmission it is not desirable that everyone who has access to the network can access the video transmission of another party. It would also impose inefficiencies on control of the network if a database with which subscribers are registered would contain the entire list of sites and subscribers in the network.
For instance, while the telecommunication networks appear to be suitable for the handling of broadcast television programs the restricting of access to the programs is critical to the television networks among others. If one network was able to access the sites of the other networks on an uncontrolled basis, the use of the network would pose a severe security and financial risk to the parties concerned. Similarly, in the video conferencing area, one company broadcasting a videoconference or hosting a video conference would not appreciate it if other uninvited parties could access the video conference uninvited.
At the present time the control of access is frequently accomplished by manual intervention using conference operators, in the case of conferencing applications, to set up the conferences and control access.